You know the drill: reduce, reuse, recycle. To do your part to reduce plastic-bag usage you carry a reusable bag, but every now and then you end up at the store without it and have to take home a plastic one. It’s not an ideal situation, but if you’re left with plastic bags lying around the house, you can still practice the other two Rs: Reuse the bags as many times as you can before you recycle them. Try these 5 ways to do it.

1.  Protect a plant.

Transport unpotted plants in bags to contain the soil and retain moisture.

2. Shop again.

Bring bags back to the store to reuse for produce and groceries.

3. Line a paint tray.

Cover your tray before pouring for easy post-painting clean up.

4. Stuff a pillow.

Tightly pack a decorative pillowcase with lots of bags for a soft stuffing.

5. Pad a package.

When moving or shipping fragile items, crumpled-up bags double as protective packing material.

What now?

When it’s time to recycle, stores such as Safeway and Wal-Mart will accept your old plastic bags.

Did you know?

Plastic grocery bags have only been around since 1977.

It’s not too late to break this relatively new habit. To help Hawaii go plastic-free, visit kokuahawaiifoundation.org.